Back From Bangkok

I am back from Bangkok. It's the day after my return and things are slowing down again. It was a nice but tiring trip. I was with soemone almost the entire time, but was disappointed to miss connections with a Thai friend who I was to meet there. The flight is an arduous one for people who can not sleep on planes (I can sleep on them only when exhausted). My flight was 23 hours total- 19 air time and 4 more in connections. Bangkok has not changed since I was last there in 2000.
I like everything about the city except the climate, which I think is unhealthy due to the extreme heat and humidity. We did quite a bit there and got outside of the city to the Kai National Park in the Northeastern part of Thailand and to the floating market, which is about 2 hours drive from Bangkok. The good news is that no one mistook me for the elephant when I rode that animal in the park.
Here is a brief review of some moments from the trip. Since I like Bangkok, below I give twice as many comments on "goods" as "bads" or "uglys" I took some pictures and will eventually scan a few for you to see here. The Good:
1) The food is excellent, a great mix of a western and Asian cultures as well as Thai cooking. I think Indonesian food is the best in Asia, but Thailand is not far behind. I do think I gained quite a bit of weight as I ate too much of both street food and restaurant offerings. I sampled food in Thailand, Arab/Indian, Korean, Japanese, Laotian, and Chinese restaurants. Most of it was good. Strangely, the best meal was a buffet served at the hotel where the Calypso Cabaret (the drag show we saw there) is performed. We bought the meal before the show as well as the performance. Both were delicious.
2) The hotel, Tai Pan, was nice and a bargain, located on Sukhumvit Road, next to the main overhead tram in Bangkok. It was quite a bargain in cost as well. If you ever go to Bangkok it is a nice moderate hotel to use.
3) It was so inexpensive (One more reason I ate to much), I should have taken back more things from Bangkok. I am in culture shock in New Orleans, a realization of how expensive everything is here relative to Bangkok.
4) The people of Bangkok and Thailand are great. But I already knew what..And the Thai women are not only beautiful but quite stylish in their dress. Hmmmmmmm I think China may have the world's most beautiful women, but Thailand is close second and their ladies are far more stylish than those in China
5) I enjoyed the day trips we took, particularly the to that park and to the floating market. The floating market may be for tourists, but it is fascinating nonetheless. I bought saffron, very expensive in the west, there for practically nothing. Too, the boat ride amongst the market was memorable and scenic.
6) Friendly, helpful people are the rule in Bangkok. I think it a "safe" city most of the time. The Bad:
1) How's this sound- $70 for one small fish, some prawns, a cabbage and a piece of broccoli. That's what one restaurant, Seafood (something) wanted to charge us for "the ingredients" for a meal. We walked into that place and retreated as son as we heard what the restaurant wanted from us. They expected us to buy the ingredients at astronomical prices, and then pay for "the food preparation and service" as well. The bill would have been far more than $100 for what costs about 7 or 8 dollars elsewhere. I think the place was tourist trap, for it was virtually empty when we walked in. We said "no thanks" when told of the food prices. And to think that this one is even recommended at a Bangkok web site for tourists...strange, indeed.
2) The old Bangkok naughty areas (there are two or three) where prostitute sell themselves for a pittance) seem to be dying off. I think the government is concerned about the sex trade being so pronounced in Bangkok, and as a result, there is an attempt to let it flounder. For instance, those areas must close at 1 am now. When I was in Bangkok 5 years ago there was no closing time. No...in case you are wondering..I just looked at the girls, nothing more (Haha I have raised my hand and swear to it). I saw many older western men with Bangkok prostitutes, some who looked less than 18 years of age. Oh well., I hope no one contacts aids from that.
3) The heat, traffic and poverty of Bangkok can be disheartening. I think Bangkok must be an exciting and interesting place to live for those with resources. But the poor do have a difficult time and a struggle to survive.
The Ugly:
1) She wasn't ugly. In fact, she was beautiful. But I think she was a he. I saw her in our hotel and she said "hello" in a masculine voice. My God! I think he/she was the sexist woman (or man) I saw the whole time. My gender is confused today as a result. Hehe
2) What is ugly are the streets of Bangkok. They are in disrepair and dirty. My feet still hurt from walking on them because they are more often an obstacle course than a passage way.
3) The traffic is (typically Asian) too heavy for the too few streets. Thank goodness for the Tuk Tuk and taxi service. But maybe if there weren't so many Tuk-Tuk's and Taxi's there would be manageable traffic. It's a catch-twenty two, I suppose. Off the top of my head (You know that I have a small brain) that's it for my Bangkok impressions.